We should have felt sad when we arrived in Sausalito, the pocket-sized Marin County community just a stone’s throw from San Francisco. It was the final night of our Californian honeymoon before heading back to work, bills, reality and home.
But this picturesque waterfront town is so laid-back and enchanting, we couldn’t wipe the smiles off our faces.
Populated by an artistic crowd and full of flair (in one afternoon we took in a farmer’s market, regatta and a jazz festival), Sausalito hugs San Francisco’s famous Bay and boasts picture-postcard views.
It was these vistas that greeted us as we walked into our room at Inn Above Tide. This cosy hotel may not boast the grandest of foyers or the most sophisticated of dining, but most of the 29 rooms and suites face the Bay, and ours, with its floor-to-ceiling windows, didn’t disappoint.
As my husband and I tucked into a bottle of Napa Valley’s finest on our balcony, we took in the sweeping views of San Fran’s twinkling city skyline, Alcatraz, Angel Island, not to mention the majestic Golden Gate Bridge.
The ever-changing play of light and sea could have mesmerised us for hours but I had to have a soak. It would have been rude not to, seeing as our Jacuzzi bathtub stood facing the Bay with almost 360-degree views (ok, I admit, it was the penthouse).
The actual, separate bathroom was pretty sizeable too; in fact, everything in our suite was on the generous side. The king-size bed, the welcoming gas fire, the plasma television, the collection of Bulgari bath products... You get the picture.
Although we checked out their daily wine and cheese evening, there is no restaurant at the hotel (nor a spa, although you can have treatments in your room), so we ate in a local Italian called Angelo’s before strolling around the city’s many boutique shops and galleries.
We slept like babies (all that sea air!) and, after a continental breakfast served by charming hotel staff, we jumped on the local ferry to San Francisco and onwards to the airport.
As I looked back at the Inn Above Tide and the sheltered inlet of Sausalito with its bobbing boats and swooping gulls, I can genuinely say the last 24 hours of our honeymoon were some of the best (and happiest) of the trip.
Inn Above Tide, 30 El Portal, Sausalito, CA 94965 (+ 1 800 893 8433;innabovetide.com)
